Tobacco ash receptacle



Jan. 29, 1952 M. T. DICK TOBACCO ASH REGEPTACLE Filed July lO, 1946 llllnlllf Patented Jan. 29, 1952 Marion Talbert Dick, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor .to Cadet Smokestands Company, Des Moines,

Iowa, a business trust Application July 10, 1946; Serial No. 682,578

3 Claims.

The principal object oi my invention is to provide a tobacco ash receptacle that has a manually operated trap door operating in conjunction with. a detachable container such as a glass jar.

A further object of this invention is to` provide a tobacco ash receptacle of the trap door type having a rigidly securedoperating handle extending above the trap door, but without restricting or interfering in `any way withthe hopper top opening.

A. still further object of my invention is to providea tobacco ash receptacle of the trap door type that has an operating means directly and rigidly connected to the trap door capable of entering and passing below the top plane of thehopper top when the trap dooris in an extreme open` position.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a tobacco ash receptacle having a hopper top with a relativelylarge opening communicating directly with a detachable container.

A still further object of this inventionis to provide a tobacco ash receptacle of the trap door type that has an operating handle means directly connected to the trap door and so positioned' as to be easily manually operated while at the same time protected against accidental damage,

A still further object of this invention is to provide a tobacco ash receptacle that lends itself to packing and shipping.

A still further object of my invention is to pron vide a tobacco ash receptacle that is refined inappearance, economical in manufacture, and du-v rable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts ofthe device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set-forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side-sectional View of the upper portion of a smokestand showing my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of my tobacco ash receptacle.

Fig. 3 is a bottom View of my invention taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l, and more fully illustrates its construction.

The objection to most smokestands on the market is that they do `not have trap doors with the operating means connected directly and rigid-` ly to the same to permit easyr and continued operation and to facilitate cleaning. Another` objection is thatsubstantiallyV all smokestand's are difcult to empty and clean the receptacle portion of tobacco oils, stains, and odors. This is particularly true of all smokestands having metal containers. I have overcome such objections by providing a direct drive trap door opening into a detachable, cleanable glass or like jan` and which I will now describe in detail.

The numeral it! designates a smokestand standard of any suitable design provided if, has a well H to receive my hopper top, trap door,l and container. In the drawing, this member is of tubular form at least at its upper end portion. Such a standard may be provided with side handles I2 for lifting purposes and if desired, a trayY or table top i3'. This tray i3 may be detachable or secured such as I have shown in the drawings, wherein the same, has a collar I4 embracing the member li) and riveted or spot welded thereto. This trayA may rest on the top of the handles l2 for greater structural strength. It is to such .or similar smokestand that I install my invention. The numeral i5 designates .the hopper top having av downwardly extendingv outer marginalrim de.- signed toembrace the. upper end of the smokestand and a downwardly and inwardly sloping hopper llil in its top center and which terminates man opening Il. This downwardly and inwardly sloping portion i6 may be of any design,` but the most successful is of the oblong type, as shown in Fig. 2. Such a slope opening not only guides the ashes and like material into the device, but with the trap door, acts as an eflicient cigar or cigarette rest and is far superior to the. usual cigarette and cigar rests which` 'become soiled and are not easily cleaned. The numeral I8 designates a base plate having an opening surroundingV the under side of the. portion IB, as shown in Fig. 1.. This horizontal plate may bese-'- cured to the hopper top by any suitable means such as spot welding, soldering, rivets, bolts, or the like and has its bottom ina plane. slightly above the openingv Il. In the drawings, I show this plate secured. to` the hopper top by bolts I9' and if desired, two of these bolts may be in the form of a U-handle bail 2l). Such a handlebail 20, ifvused, may be employed for lifting the entire unit: from the smokestand. Asv this bail extends above the hopper top it may be desirable to detach the same for shipping purposes and if desired` it may be dispensed with entirely by using the trap door operating handle for liiting the unit. When the tray I3 is not used, the bail 2is definitely not` necessary, as one may easily remove my unit from the smokestand by grasping the under side of the outer marginal. liange of the hoppei` top. The numeral 2l designates a threaded jar rim top secured by any suitable means such as spot welding, soldering, or like, on the under side of the plate I8 and capable of receiving and holding a jar 22. This threaded rim 2| and jar 22 are preferably of standard design such as an ordinary Kerr-Mason glass jar and its rim top. Such glass jars and top rims are common in most all homes'and stores and are used for canning. Obviously, if by accident, a jar 22 is broken, another one may be easily and quickly obtained for replacement purposes. When purchasing such standard jars a closing plate is present between the rim and jar, but in my use, this member is eliminated as it is desirable that the rim 2| embrace the opening and that the opening communicate directly with the inside of the detachable Vjar 22. Any size length of glass jar may be used and in the drawings, I show a relatively short jar for conserving drawing space. I have found that tobacco stains, odors, and gums may be easily and quickly washed from a glass container, which is notl possible with a metal container. For this reason, I highly recommend the use of a glass jar and one with a wide mouth opening to facilitate Washing and cleaning. However, I do not wish to conne myself entirely to a glass jar and it is obvious that containers of other materials such as metal, plastic, and clay may be used. One advantage of a glass jar, however, is that it is transparent and it is a simple matter to observe whether or not the glass jar is in need of emptying.

To remove the jar 22 for emptying or cleaning, it is merely necessary to lift the unit upwardly from the smokestand and detach the glass jar by unscrewing it from the rim 2|. After emptying and cleaning, the jar may be as easily replaced. It will be noted that while the outer marginal rim of the hopper top embraces the upper end of the Smokestand the plate I8 rests inside the opening H with the jar 22. By this construction, the plate. I8 centers the unit on the smokestand and prevents undesirable lateral movement. The unit is supported by its outer marginal edge resting on the top of the tray I3, as shown in Fig. l, or if desired, the under side of the hopper top may rest directly on the upper marginal edge of the smokestand l0.. This latter method will always be used when a tray |3 is not present. Such an all around circular support rigidly maintains the device and no rocking of the jar inside the smokestand is possible. Furthermore, the hopper top-construction spaces the jar 22 inside the-smokestand, without engaging its inner side wall.

I will now describe my direct drive trap door. The numeral 23 designates a downwardly extending U-shaped bearing member on the under side of the plate I8, inside the threaded rim 2|, and at one side of the opening The numeral 24 designates a small shaft extending through the bearing member. However, in case my trap door is used independently of the plate I8 and in conjunction with or without the jar container 22,.it is understood that the trap door shaft 24 may be operatively secured to the hopper top in any suitable manner. The numeral 25 designatesa trap door secured by any suitable means to the shaft 24 such as bearing ears 26 embracing the shaft 2li- The numeral 2'| designates a coil spring embracing the shaft 24, having one end engaging the under side of the trap door 25, and itsother end operatively engaging the plate |8. By this constructiomthe coil spring 27 will yieldingly hold the trap door upwardly for closing the Yof the opening fore will neither restrict nor interfere in any way A ywith the trap door opening and the entire hopper top opening The numeral 28 designates an operating rod of fiat or round construction in cross-section having its lower end rigidly secured to the trap door 25 at a point outside the general outline of the opening This feature is highly important and is accomplished by forming a walled recess opening 29 in the portion I6 of the hopper top adjacent to the opening '1, as shown in all of the figures. This walled recess has its open bottom in the same plane as'the opening and is therefore closed by the trap door when the trap door is in a closed position, as shown in Fig. l. By this arrangement, the operating handle 28 may extend directly upwardly from the trap door, be rigidly secured thereto, and yet be outside the general outline The operating handle therehopper top may be easily kept clean. The recess 29 is centrally located, as shown in Fig. 2, and extends at each side and to the back of the directly connected operating handle rod, thereby substantially supporting the rod and trap door and maintaining the same in true alignment throughout the useful life of the device.V In order that the operating handle will be substantially clear of the entire downwardly and inwardly sloping hopper I6 the same extends ul)- wardly only a short distance and then is bent outwardly and upwardly parallel with the sloped opening and then upwardly, as shown in Fig. 1. The numeral 30 designates a ball or like handle on the upper free end of the member 28. To open the trap door it is merely necessary to grasp the ball and move it toward the opening and against the action of the spring 2l. The trap door will open inside the container, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the handle ball will be at least below the upper surface of the hopper top. This is highly important for shippingA purposes as when the ball and lever are in such lowered position they are protected and free from possible damage in transit. The trap door may be held in such open position by a piece of paper or like placed inside the jar. This feature is highly necessary when the device is made vwithout a bail 2G 'or when the bail is detached. With the operating handle and ball below the top surface of the hopper top the carton holding the smokestand will lay directly on and above the hopper top. Obviously, if the operating handle were not capable of passing below the surface of the hopper top it would be necessary in shipping to remove the hopper top to prevent damage of the trap door and in many types of smokestands this is absolutely necessary'` but highly objectionable inasmuch as more carton space is necessary and the smokestand reaches its destination not assembled. VBy placing the direct drive operating handle on top of the hopper top, the operating mechanism is prevented from serious damage in use when the smokestand is accidentally tipped over. Obviously, in my construction, when a smokestand is tipped over the operating handle will not be struck or damaged. Furthermore, it is properly positioned at the top of the hopper top for easy reach and use. By being directly connected to the trap door no complicated' mechanism is present and by grasping the handle the trap door may be rigidly held in a closed position for wiping dirt from the entire top ofthe hopper top. Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my improved tobacco ash receptacle without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modied forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a hopper top having downwardly and inwardly extending walls which terminate in an opening. a plate member secured to the under side of said hopper top, a threaded member secured on the under side of said plate member embracing the opening in said hopper top and designed to engage a container, a trap door hingedly secured to said plate member and capable of closing the opening in said hopper top when in a closed position, a means for yieldingly holding said trap door in a closed position, a recess formed in the downwardly and inwardly extending portion of said hopper top, and an operating handle directly secured to said trap door and extending through said recess when said trap door is in a closed position.

2. In a device of the class described, a hopper said recess when said trap door is in a closed position.

3. In a device of the class described, a hopper top having downwardly and inwardly extending walls which terminate in an opening, a recess formed in the lower edge portion of said downwardly and inwardly extending walls of said hopper top having its two sides and back closed. a trap door capable of closing the opening in said hopper top when in a closed position, a means for yielding holding said trap door in a closed position, and an operating handle secured to said trap door and extending through said recess when said trap door is in a closed position.

MARION TALBERT DICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 8,315 Plympton July 2, 1873 1,799,897 Gronbeck Apr. 7, 1931 1,908,279 Baylis May 9, 1933 1,923,638 Moss Aug. 22, 1933 1,999,140 McDonald Apr. 231935 2,000,920 Campbell May 14, 1935 2,255,428 Leiman Sept. 9, 1941 2,283,488 Cox May 19, 1942 2,311,568 AParkinson Feb. 16, 1943 2,352,033 Stewart June 20, 1944 2,365,946 Fletcher Dec. 26, 1'944 

